Easy-opening container



sept. 2z, 1970 v E. E. REEVESA Em. 3,529,764

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United States Patent O 3,529,764 EASY-OPENING CONTAINER Robert E. Reeves, Indianapolis, Ind., and John D. Ridgeway, Jr., Milwaukee, Wis., assignors to Inland Container Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Oct. 2, 1968, Ser. No. 764,520 Int. Cl. B65d 5 /54 U.S. Cl. 229-51 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Disclosed is a corrugated board container of a type adapted for display of its contents with a iiap portion, underlying the closing and sealing tape, cut away to facilitate initial grasping of the tape prior to peeling it from the container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Containers of the type permitting sector removal or opening for display, or convenient access to, the container contents are well known in the prior art. Typical of these are the containers disclosed in Ridgeway Pat. 3,237,841. While non-peelable sealing tape at the closing panel and flap junctions can be used n these containers, removal of the tape then requires cutting or slitting of the tape at the panel or ap junctions. Use of peelable or pullclean tape is preferred, however, since this avoids the danger to the container contents posed by the use of slitting knives and provides a neater appearing separation of the container sectors. Use of this peelable tape, requiring no slitting knife to open the container, does increase the importance of providing a means for easily obtaining a secure finger hold on the tape end preparatory to stripping it from the container.

SUMMARY OF TH'E INVENTION The concept of the present invention, by so forming at least one corner of a flap edge area receiving the peelable tape, creates a void or gap beneath a small end area of the tape into which a finger may be thrust to thereby conveniently obtain the finger grip on the tape required for starting the tape removal operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is a top plan view of a blank from which a container embodying the present invention may be formed.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a container erected from the blank of FIG. 1 and embodying the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, the blank from which the container FIG. 2 is formed includes a bottom panel 10 and side panels 11 and 12 which extend from each side margin of the bottom panel 10 as defined by the score lines 13 and 14. A top panel 16 extends from the margin of the side panel 12 as defined by the score line 17, and, similarly, a top panel 18 extends from the side margin opposite the score line 14 of the side panel 11, the junction between the panels 11 and 18 being defined by the score line 19. The sum of the widths of the top panels 16 and 18 is equal to the width of the bottom panel 10 so that when the container is set up the top panels will "ice meet in edge-to-edge abutting relation over the bottom panel 10.

The bottom panel 10 has end flaps 21 and 22 extending from its end margins dened by the score lines 23 and 24. Top panel 16 has end flaps 26 and 27 extending from its end margins, as does the top panel 18, these being identified at 28 and 29.

The side panel 12 has end flaps extending from its end margins, defined by score lines 3-1 and 32 and these end flaps are provided with a longitudinal division by means of cuts 33 and 34, the cuts dividing the end fiaps into side panel end ap section 36 and 37 adjacent the top panel end flaps 27 and 26 respectively. The slots 33 and 34 further establish additional side panel end ap sections 38 and 39 adjacent the bottom panel end flaps 22 and 21 respectively. The end flaps for the side panel 11 are similarly divided by cuts 41 and 42 into side panel end iiap sections 43, 44, 46 and 47.

The corner area of the top panel end flaps 26 and 27 is diagonally cut away as indicated at 26a and 27a. As will subsequently be mentioned with respect to FIG. 2, the free marginal edge area of the top panel 16 and the aligned marginal edge area of the end flaps 26I and 27, including the cut away corner area 26a and 27a are covered by peelable tape sealing and closing the container.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the container is set up by folding the blank so that the marginal edges of the top panels 16 and 18 abut each other as do the aligned marginal edges of their end flaps 27-29 and 26-28. Bottom panel end flaps 21 and 22 may be glued or otherwise secured to the underlying side panel end flap sections 38, 39, 43 and 44. Tape, indicated at 49 in FIG. 2, covers the free marginal edge of the top panels and the aligned marginal edges of their end flaps. As will be evident from FIG. 2, the tape 49 further covers the cut away corner area 27a of the top panel end flap 27, and similarly covers the corner area 26a of the top panel end flap 26 (not shown in FIG, 2). Because of the gap or void beneath the tape at the cut away corner 27a, the tape may be easily grasped for peeling it from the container when the container is to be opened. While corner cut away areas, underlying the tape, are here described as occurring at the end flaps at both ends of the top panel 16, it will be understood that the cut away area might be provided only at one top panel end flap, the advantage of providing the cut away area at both end flaps being that the tape removing operation can be started from either end of the end panel.

While reference has been made herein to top, side, bottom and end panels and flaps, it will be understood that this reference is merely for clarity and the orientation of the container is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. In an easy-opening container having a bottom panel, a side panel extending perpendicularly upwardly from each side margin of said bottom panel, a top panel extending perpendicularly inwardly from the top margin of each of said side panels to close the top of said container, end ilaps extending perpendicularly downwardly from the ends of said top panels, and tape covering the free marginal edges of said top panels and the aligned adjacent marginal edges of their end flaps, wherein the improvement comprises forming at least one of said top panel end aps with a cut away corner area underlying 3 but extending short of the adjacent outer side margin of the covering tape, to thereby maintain the covering tape securely at the adjacent ends of said end aps but to facilitate nger gripping of the tape for peeling it away.

References Cited 2,708,545 5/1955 Seith 229-37 X 3,078,986 2/ 1963 Ushkow. 3,178,094 4/1965 Ridgeway 229-37 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner I. R. GARRETT, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 229-37 

